As it approaches its yearly minimum, Arctic sea ice extent is slightly greater than recent ultra-low years

But the extent still shows a clear downward trend — and there are other troubling signs, such as near-record thinness and the loss of much multi-year ice.

Arctic sea ice usually reaches its lowest extent for the year in September, and this year, it appears increasingly likely that impending will be well above the extent measured in most recent years. That’s because cool and cloudy weather in some regions has helped preserve some of the ice this year.